Levee District pays respect to commissioner who died

The St. Mary Parish Levee District mourned one of its commissioners Thursday.
The district board unanimously approved a resolution of respect for Commissioner Barry Broussard, who died Monday.
Broussard, 71, was serving as the commission’s secretary. He had also been a member of the Wax Lake East Drainage District.
He enlisted in the military after graduating from high school and served in Vietnam.
Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Hargrave Funeral Home. The funeral will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Burial will be at Morgan City Cemetery with military honors by the East St. Mary Veterans Funeral Squad.
The board also learned Thursday that major projects are moving ahead.
Right of way also comes into play at the Bayou Teche Flood Control Structure, where talks are underway with landowners to allow Cleco to run electricity to the project’s control house.
The $11.4 million project will allow a barge, built by Bollinger in Amelia, to swing into place to block storm surge flooding from the Charenton Canal. The structure is designed to prevent flooding in the Franklin, Garden City and Centerville areas during hurricanes.
The project is being funded largely by a Department of Transportation and Development grant.
The $80 million Bayou Chene Flood Control Structure is also making progress, the board heard.
That structure will also allow a barge to be moved into place in flood gate. On the Chene, the structure will block back-flooding when the Atchafalaya river runs high.
Piles are being driven as part of the flood gate construction, and work is underway to provide power to the structure.
The project is being funded through the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.